St Luke with St Bartholomew

Church of England Parish in Reading, Berkshire

The pace and places of the world are becoming increasingly
frenetic and crowded, and Reading is no exception. Too often quality of life is
defined by the quantity of pounds in the bank, and hours spent at the office.

Creating Space for Life is a vision that tries to see things differently, and to use what we take for granted to encounter a deeper sense of life, and the God who sustains that.

Time and space is holy, filled with opportunities for each of us
to grow closer to God, one another, and the person we were made to be. The
church is called to open up public spaces for all people in which they can
learn, once again, to be truly creative and fruitful as God’s children.

This website briefly explains the ways in which our Churches are
opening up our resources to those around us, both in familiar ways as well as
ways that may be novel to us. In doing so, we hope to enable all people to
encounter the world anew, at the heart of which is the God who, in Christ, has
made us all one and invites us to journey with him.

For some people, a Sunday morning service is where they know they will come fully alive, which is why we try to draw all that is good from centuries of worship with the best of today's music and prayers. Our services are neither stuffy nor scary, as young and old gather in a 'shush-free' zone to give thanks and to pray together.

The Arts also open our hearts and minds in new ways, which is why we have reordered St Bart's as a theatre. Here, you will find a programme of ground-breaking, boundary-pushing, professional performances from national and international artists who will help us to see the world anew.

Whilst we support our local food bank, we know that we need more and longer-term solutions than that to empower local people who find themselves struggling with finances. Such difficulties don't just impact our bank balances, but our relationships and sense of self. To that end, we have turned a private hall garden into a public allotment, creating a space in which local people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to learn to grow food for themselves, and to form lasting relationships.

We hope you find out what you need on this website, and hope you feel you can join us in this vision of creating space for life.